Adalia 10-punctata (L.)

10-spot ladybird

Distribution

Britain:

Similar in distribution to the 2-spot but, if anything, slightly less common across its range.

Ireland:

Regarded as common and widespread by Johnson & Halbert (1902).

Ecology

Mainly in woodland edge habitats, including hedgerows. Recorded from sycamore(3), alder (1), birch (1), spruce (3), pine(2), oak (2) and willow(5). More rarely encountered in the herb layer of woods (2), by sweeping. This is the only generalist ladybird to be regularly encountered on pine and spruce. Aphid-feeding. The diet on spruce has not been examined but may include green spruce aphid which is a forest pest in many areas.

Variation

Can be very variable. Commonly with faded brownish ground colours and a variable number (4-10) of small or large spots. Reddish-orange ground colours occur sparingly, and fused- or chequered-spot forms such as decempustulata and annulata are present but uncommon. The melanic (dark) form, with two backwardly directed orange spots on a black ground, has been encountered once, on willow at Colin Glen near Belfast.